Advance Your Career in Government

MPA@UNC offers government officials at the local, state, or federal level the skills they need to advance in their careers.

With a curriculum designed by nationally-respected faculty who regularly advise public officials at all levels, online MPA students are exposed to real-world expertise regarding practical issues facing today’s government.

Public Service, UninterruptedMeet Emily Elders and Grant Whitley. Both chose MPA@UNC in order to advance their careers in public service without leaving their lives behind.

Regional Disparity: Is the “American Dream” Dead?When it comes to the future of our children, Americans are less than optimistic. Polls show that we are no longer confident the next generation will achieve a higher standard of living than the one before it, as has historically been the case.

The Power of Visionary LeadershipUnited States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus presented the 2012 Deil S. Wright Lecture, “Leadership in Service,” on November 1, 2012. The 75th leader of America’s Navy and Marine Corps, Secretary Mabus is responsible for an annual budget of $160 billion and a workforce of approximately 900,000 people.

A Citizen’s Guide to Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0Engaged citizens want clear, credible information from the government about how it’s carrying on its business. They don’t want to thumb through thousands of files or wait month after month or go through the rigors of filing claims through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). They want government information, services, and communication to be forthcoming and swift. The Open Government, Government 2.0, and E-Governance movements fill the need of connecting citizens with the government and each other to foster a more open, collaborative, and efficient public sector through the use of new technology and public data.

What will happen to Detroit?Detroit’s bankruptcy filing—potentially the largest municipal bankruptcy case in the United States—has raised a lot of questions, particularly for those who call the city their home.

Our 10 Favorite Public Servants from Pop CultureHeroes and villains get all the press coverage, but it is the humble public servant, patiently toiling away at paperwork, tackling administrative duties, and ferociously juggling the minutiae most of us never see that keep our communities (both real and fictional) running smoothly. Public servants actually represent a noble tradition in popular culture, stretching all the way back to the clay tablets that recorded The Epic of Gilgamesh four thousand years ago, when the hairy man-beast of Enkidu accepted his first job as a security guard in the public sector.

Legacy of Leadership in the Black Community: 15 Leaders in Public ServiceThe Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 43rd Annual Legislative Conference to be held September 18–21, 2013, is a gathering of some of the greatest minds in the black community, including politicians, activists, constituents, and policy makers. In honor of this upcoming event, MPA@UNC is highlighting 15 black leaders who have and continue to make a difference in the public sector. The challenges these leaders have faced and the triumphs they have achieved provide leadership lessons and fascinating insights into the world of public service.

Jennifer Pahlka: Coding a Better GovernmentJennifer Pahlka thinks government should function more like the Internet: permissionless, open, and crowdsourced. Pahlka, a Yale graduate with a background in game development, founded Code for America in 2009. Lightheartedly referring to the fellowship program as a “Peace Corps for geeks,” Pahlka matches up web geniuses and American cities with the goal of modernizing local government services using customized web applications. Her vision helps foster civic innovation.

Edi Rama: Take Back Your City with PaintEdi Rama, an artist and former mayor of Tirana, Albania, presented this TED Talk on taking back ownership of a city through the use of color. Rama entered office facing the challenges of corruption, a lack of citizen support, and a miniscule budget. He also had the added pressure of working with European Union officials in the lead-up to Albania’s application to join the EU. From his perspective, these officials did not understand his city’s needs or how their regulations interfered with them.